Bath rug



V. K. MARVIN Sept., 29, 1936.

BATH RUG Filed OGt.. l2, 1935 R O T. N E V m 00 ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in bath rugs to provide sanitary features in conjunction with shower bath compartments and equipment, the bath rugs being constructed to be readily disposed of, and the objects of my improvements are first, to provide a bath rug that can be stored in rolls and used from the roll by severing each individual rug therefrom; second, to provide a bath rug provided with a drain aperture to allow the water to drain from the bath stall, tub or bowl through the drain of the bath xture; third, to provide a bath rug having a plurality of drain apertures therethrough arranged to protect the feet of the person taking the bath from contact with the upper surface of the drain cover or portion of the bath xtures; fourth, to provide a sanitary bath rug for protecting the feet of the person taking the bath from contact with the surface of the bath tub or fixtures; fifth, to pro- Vide a bath rug constructed of material adapted to be readily deformed into a ball for disposal purposes; sixth, to provide a bath rug that is readily dissoluble in water or similar liquid; seventh, to provide a bath rug having a roughened surface on its upper side for contacting the feet or the body of the person taking the bath; eighth, to provide a bath ru'g having surfaces treated with an oil or wax preparation to prevent the bath. rug from becoming waterloggedv while being used.

I attain these objects by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure l is a vertical section through a shower bath installation and discloses my bath rug in its installed position therewith; Fig. 2, a side view of a roll formed by a plurality of bath rugs mounted on a fixture for dispensing the bath rugs; Fig. 3, a partial plan view of the bath rug disclosing the drain opening therein in relation to the drain cover over the drain mechanism of the bath mechanisms; Fig. 4, a partial plan view of the bath rug disclosing a plurality of apertures for connecting with the drain mechanism of the bath mechanism in relation to the drain cover over the drain mechanism; Fig. 5, a partial plan view of the.bath rug disclosing a plurality of apertures for connecting with the drain mechanism of the bath mechanism and in relation to the drain cover over the drain mechanism, said plurality of holesbeing of different construction than that disclosed in Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a partial sectional view of the bath rug drawn to an enlarged scale to disclose in detail its construction; and Fig. n'1, a view of the bath rug wadded or crushed read'y for disposal.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout its several views.

Figure 1 discloses the conventional construction of a shower bath installation in which the Walls of the shower bath compartment or stall are indicated at I and 2, and the floor or bottom 3 of the bath compartment is disclosed as being constructed of tile or marble, porcelain, or similar material and having curved corners joined with the inside surfaces of the side walls I and 2. The rear wall 4 of the shower bath structure is adapted to support the shower attachment 5 which is connected with the pipe 6 which is supported in the rear wall 4 and secured thereto by the collar l.

The lever 8 is connected with and adapted to control the ow of water through the shower attachment 5, the portion of the lever 8 relative to the symbols on the ange 9 indicating the temperature of the water flowing out ofthe shower attachment 5, the lever 8 being adapted to shut oir the water from flowing out of the shower attachment 5 in a conventional manner. The floor or bottom 3 of the bath compartment is provided with the opening or bore l0 there- 25 through in which is suitably mounted the drain cover or plug II which is provided with a plurality of holes or apertures I2 therethrough to permit water to flow from the bath compartment down into and through the drain pipe I3 which is secured to the floor I4 of the building which supports the floor 3 of the bath compartment by the nut, plug, or connection member I5.

The drain pipe I3 is provided with the passage or opening I6 which extends therethrough and connects with the plurality of openings I2 which connect with the depressed chamber I1 which is formed by placing the bath rug I8 over the floor 3 of the shower bath compartment and over the drain cover II. j

The floor I4 is indicated as being supported by the joists or rafters I9 and which will form a portion of the structure of the building or house. The bath rug I8 will be of suilicient size and shape to extend over the upper surface of the floor 3 of the bath compartment and will each be provided with the openings or apertures which are located in each of the bath rugs I8 so that it will lie and be positioned above the drain cover Il to permit the water to drain through the bath rug I8 and thus through the drain cover Il into the drain pipe I3 and thus out of the waste conduits connecting with the building structure.

It is to be noted that with the conventional shower bath compartment, the person taking the bath has to stand with his feet on the upper surface of the floor portion 3 which in tourist 'l cabins and such buildings, or camps, are susceptible to retaining germs, especially at and around the edge portions of the drain covers which conventionally present depressed 'or irregular surfaces, and thus develop unsanitary conditions which cause athletic foot and similar diseases. By the use of the bath rug I8 this can be prevented by placing one of the bath rugs I8 on the upper surface of the floor 3 of the bath compartment and due to the opening or aperture 20 will allow the Water to drain therethrough into the drain passage I3 which would not be the case with the use of an ordinary rug for fully covering the drain holes through the drain cover II.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the outside diameter of the drain cover II is indicated at 2| to show the position of the drain hole or opening 20 through the bath rug I 8 in relationship to the drain cover II.

The alternate construction disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5 disclose a plurality of openings 22, 23 and 24 which are arranged with different lengths to enable the openings 22, 23 and 24 to be arranged within the area of the drain cover il and yet allow the structure of the bath rug I8 between said plurality of openings to extend over the drain cover l l and thus protect the feet even though the person stands directly over the drain cover Il, thus allowing the water to drain out and at the same time allowing the person to stand directly over and above the drain cover II Without the soles of the feet actually touching the upper surface or edges of the drain cover ii, which is susceptible of trapping or catching most of the germs which are present in the shower bath compartment by the germs tending to drain down into the portion it on the upper surface of the drain cover il, thus not only protecting the soles of the feet of the person taking the bath from contact with any germs on the upper surface of the oor Si but protects his feet from the critical point in which a greater portion of such germs collect, as around the upper edge surfaces of the drain cover il because of the tendency or" the germs to be washed thereto and lodge thereat in the flow of the water through the drain mechanism.

Fig. discloses the opening 25 of substantially elongated shape and oi a length slightly less than the diameter or outside periphery of the drain cover il, as indicated at 2l. and with a pair of openings 26 of shorter length than the opening 25, arranged on each side thereof to provide a greater area of drainage of water by use of the larger size of drain holes and at the same time providing a greater surface for contacting the soles of the feet of the operator over and above the draincover il.

The bath rug le is designed to be constructed as a continuous roll of bath rugs with a perforation connection line or edge 2l therebetween, the bath rugs I8 in this Way being formed as a continuous strip to permit of their being formed into a roll 28 which may be rollably supported in the brackets 29 which are in turn disclosed as being supported on the wall l on the bath compartment by the screws 30.

Also if desired the roll 28 may be enclosed within a, suitable housing so that they may be dispensed by means of a coin slot mechanism to enable the bath rugs it to be utilized as a vending proposition in tourists cabins and bath room structures of various types, especially those which are visited by the public, thus enabling the person ,taking a bath to be readily provided with means whereby he may be protected against unsanitary conditions through the collection of germs causing such diseases as athletic foot and other similar types of infection which are present in such installations. Also if desired the bath rugs I8 may be provided ln pads of a plurality of bath rugs and dispensed therefrom by removal one at a time.

Fig. 6 discloses an enlarged detailed section to show the construction thereof and in which the body of the bath rug is formed from fibrous material such as crepe paper, etc., or similar products, the bath rug being preferably provided with the roughened or corrugated surface 3l on its upper sides for contact with the feet of the person taking the bath to prevent slippage thereon, the bath rug being provided on its upper and lower portions with layers 32 and 32A of material which will be constructed of oiled, waxed, or similar water-proofed material to prevent the water from soaking into the bath rugs i8 and thus preventing the rug from becoming waterlogged while in use, the upper layer 32A having a roughened or corrugated surface 3l, the upper surface of the rug material being also roughened or corrugated to allow the layer 32A to conform thereto.

The bath rug it will be thus constructed of material that will enable it to lie fiat on the floor 3 of the bath room compartment and at the same time will enable the rug, after it has been used and removed from the bath compartment, to be readily Wadded or formed into a mass such as indicated in Fig. 7 so that it can be readily disposed of by placing in a waste container, or if necessary, by placing it in the toilet drain and ilushing it out, the material of the bath rug it thus being readily dissoluble and disposable in Water.

In operation the person desiring to take a bath will unroll the bath rugs from the roll 28 and by grasping the end bath rug will sever it along one of the perforated edges or lines 2l, then the bath rug is placed on the upper surface of the door Si, as disclosed in Fig. 1, with the holes Z2@ or the plurality of holes 22, 23 and 2li, or plurality of holes 25 and 2t above the drain cover il, so that the openings thereof will allow the water to drain from the upper surface of the bath rugs l@ through said drain holes or openings into the depressed surface il and then through the openings l2 in the drain cover ii into the passage ii of the drain pipe i3 and thus out of the bath room structure or compartment of the building.

After the person has completed his bath the bath rug itl is removed from the floor 3 of the bath tub compartment and is wadded or crushed substantially to the shape as disclosed in Fig. 7, thus rendering it easily and readily disposed of.

I claim:

1. In a bath rug for a bath compartment having a floor, together with a drain mechanism provided with a drain cover having holes therethrough, a plurality of bath rugs each having a corrugated upper surface together with a lower surface treated to prevent absorption of Water, said lower surface being adapted to contact the iioor of the bath compartment, said bath rugs each being further provided with an aperture adapted to be placed in alignment with the holes of the drain cover of the bath compartment, and means for severing said plurality of bath rugs to enable said bath rugs to be dispensed from a roll formation, said means providing a vseries o1' perforations between connected portions to permit an individual bath rug to be readily disconnected from the roll formation.

2. A bath rug for use with a bath compartment having a drain opening, said bath rug being provided with a roughened upper surface to prevent slippage of the person taking a bath, said bath rug being provided with a lower surface for resting on the floor of the bath compartment, said bath rug having layers of material having characteristics preventing the absorption of water therethrough, said bath rug further having an aperture adapted to be positioned in alignment with the drain opening of the bath compartment, said aperture completely surrounding said drain opening.

3. A bathrug for use with a bath compartment having a door together with a drain opening therethrough, said bath rug being adapted to be placed on the floor of the bath compartment to prevent the feet of a person taking a bath from contacting the floor of the bath compartment, said bath rug being provided with means for guiding water to flow therethrough into the drain opening of the bath compartment solely in an up and down direction.

4. A bath rug for use with a bath compartment having a floor together with a drain mechanism provided with a drain cover having holes therethrough, said bath rug being provided with an aperture adapted to be positioned in alignment with the drain cover of the bath compartment to guide water to flow into the drain mechanismfsaid aperture having a lesser area than the area of said drain cover.

5. A bath rug for use with a bath compartment having a floor together with a drain mechanism provided with a drain cover having holes therethrough, said bath rug being provided with a plurality of apertures therethrough for guiding water to iiow into the drain mechanism, said bath rug being provided with a plurality of connecting portions between said plurality of apertures to prevent the feet of the person taking a bath from contacting the drain cover, said plurality of apertures being located within the area of the drain cover.

6. A bath rug for use with a bath compartment having a floor together with a drain mechanism provided with a drain cover having holes therethrough, said bath rug being provided with a plurality of elongated apertures therethrough for guiding water to flow into the drain mechanism, said bath rug being provided with elongated connecting portions between said plurality of apertures to prevent the feet of the person taking a bath from contacting the drain cover.

7. A bath rug for use with a bath compartment having a iioor together with a drain mechanlsm having a drain cover provided with holes therethrough, said bath rug having a plurality of apertures therethrough for guiding water to ilow into the drain mechanism, said plurality of apertures being located within the area of the drain cover to prevent the feet of the person taking a bath from contacting the surface of the drain cover adjacent the edges of the drain cover.

8. In a bath rug mechanism for a bath compartment having a iloor together with a drain hole therethrough, the combination of a strip of material forming a roll, bracket members rollably supporting said roll, said bracket members being secured to a wall of the bath compartment, perforation means separating said strip of material into a plurality of bath rugs, said perforation means permitting each of said bath rugs to be readily separated from said strip of material, and a drain aperture in each of said bath rugs to permit drainage of water therethrough when said bath rug is placed on the :door of the bath compartment.

9. A bath rug for use on a floor of a bath compartment having a drain mechanism connected with said floor, said bath rug having a roughened upper surface together with upper and lower portions treated with material to prevent absorption of water, said bath rug further having a drain opening for connecting with the drain mechanism connected with the floor of the bath compartment, said bath rug completely covering the floor of the bath compartment within the projected area of said bath rug less suflcient area only for exposure of said drain mechanism through said drain opening of said bath rug.

l0. A bath rug for use on a floor of a bath compartment having a drain mechanism connected with said floor, said bath rug being connected to a strip of material by perforated means and provided with a drain opening therethrough, said bath rug being constructed of a brous material having deformable characteristics to permit the bath rug to be wadded into a ball after use.

ll. In a bath rug, the combination of a bath rug constructed of an upper layer of fibrous material having a roughened upper surface, a middle layer of material, and a lower layer of material, said upper and lower layers being treated with a preparation having-characteristics to prevent absorption of water therethrough, said upper, middle, and lower layers of material having aligned openings for the passage of water therethrough, said aligned openings being located to prevent connecting with the edge surface of said bath rug.

l2. A bath rug for use on a floor having a drain mechanism connected therewith and provided with a drain opening for connecting with the drain mechanism, said bath rug being provided with portions for contacting the drain mechanism around said drain opening to permit the feet of the person taking a bath to be placed above said drain mechanism without contact therewith.

VALDA K. MARVIN. 

